Talking to someone about how you are feeling

It is difficult and painful to be abused or to see or hear a family member being abused. You might feel scared, angry, sad, all alone, nauseated, insecure, terrified, or worried. You might have stomach pains, feel stressed, feel anxious, feel your heart racing or feel guilty. You might have trouble sleeping or trouble concentrating at school. You might not even remember what happened. Life might feel completely empty. None of these are unusual or strange.

You have the right to feel everything you’re feeling.

If you’ve been through something difficult or scary, it’s important to talk about what happened, how it felt, and how you are feeling right now. You don’t have to deal with all of these difficult feelings by yourself.

Counselling using the Trappan model at Ada
At the Ada Women’s Shelter and Young Women’s Empowerment Centre, you can talk to an adult about what happened and how you’re feeling. We’ve met many children who have experienced abuse in their home. You can draw, talk or use dolls to let us know what you’ve been through. We will listen to you. We will also talk about what happens in the body when you’ve experienced difficult things. We have taken a vow of secrecy, which means that we will not tell your parents or anyone else what you have told us.

Email us at Ada at info@kvinnojouren-ada.nu.

Call us at Ada at phone number 031-131166.

Individual or group counselling at Bojen
Bojen, located in Gothenburg, offers individual or group counselling for children. If you are part of a group, you get to meet other children who have been through things similar to you. At Bojen, you do different exercises and activities to help you talk about how you’re feeling and what you’ve been through. While you’re part of a children’s group, your mum can join a group with other mums. If you would like to learn more about Bojen, click on the link www.bojengoteborg.se.

Talk to another adult
You can contact your school counsellor or talk to another adult you feel comfortable with. Sometimes adults are not so good at listening to children. It could be because they don’t know so much about what you are telling them about or they don’t really understand that you are experiencing something that is not OK. If this is the case, it may be a good idea to try again or to find another adult who will listen to you. Don’t give up!

You can also contact BRIS [Children’s Rights in Society] by phone, email or chat and talk to an adult there. With BRIS, you can always remain anonymous. To email or chat with an adult at BRIS, visit their website www.bris.se. If you want to talk to a counsellor at BRIS, you can call their phone number 116 111.